Tennessee-Alabama Recap: Vols fall short in Tuscaloosa
The Tennessee Volunteers lost in embarrassing fashion on Saturday to the Alabama Crimson Tide 34-20. After a solid first half in which the Vols built a 20-7 lead, they were outscored 27-0 after halftime. Josh Heupel seemingly took his team into Tuscaloosa with a terrific gameplan, but they were unable to counter the adjustments that Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide made at the half. It was disappointing to see the Vols fall apart after such a promising start in a place they haven’t won since 2003. There are certainly many things that you could point at and say, “This is why the Vols lost the game”, but for now I’ll reveal the 3 most glaring issues.
Red Zone Execution
The Vols got into the red zone 3 times in the first half but were only able to score 13 points. If the Vols scored touchdowns on all 3 of those possessions the Crimson Tide would have been on the wrong side of a 21-point deficit at halftime instead of a 13-point deficit. Alabama might have been more apt to go away from their running game that dominated the second half if you were able to execute earlier in the game. The reason for the red zone woes for the Vols is multi-faceted, but my main blame goes on Joe Milton. Milton missed a wide-open Jacob Warren on 3rd and Goal that would have resulted in 6 points, and I think the lack of creative play calling from Heupel and staff is because they don’t trust him. When the windows got tighter closer to the goal line on Saturday I think Heupel, and staff remembered the last two SEC games where Milton threw a red zone interception. When You’re on the road anywhere in the SEC, much less at Alabama, getting as many points on the board as possible is crucial, and the staff must be terrified of a turnover as opposed to at least 3 points on the board. If Heupel wants to put up touchdowns instead of field goals in the last 5 contests he needs to either trust Joe Milton or put him on the bench.
Short Yardage Ineptitude
Josh Heupel decided to go for it on 4th and short twice on Tennessee’s side of the 50 on Saturday and got stuffed both times. The play calls both times came out of the shotgun, which is stupid to begin with, but even if you do line up in shotgun formation there are still plenty of creative calls that can get you 1-2 yards. Instead, Heupel decided to call 2 of the most uncreative plays I’ve ever seen going with a Joe Milton Keeper on the first 4th down and a Dylan Sampson Handoff on the second 4th down. The short yardage ineptitude goes back to Heupel’s first year, and now in year 3 the Vols are still unable to pick up a yard when they need it. It really seems like the only time the Vols are effective on the ground is when they are going fast, and when you run the clock all the way down in a 4th down situation the results are not all that surprising. Listen when you have a 240-pound QB any 4th and short should be a QB sneak, but up to this point, Heupel has been overthinking it big time.
Lack of Adjustments
Josh Heupel got whooped by Nick Saban in the 2nd half plain and simple. 27-0 in the 2nd half is all you need to look at to tell you that Alabama dominated in every phase of the game. This is the 2nd time this year that Josh Heupel has gotten thoroughly outcoached on the road and that is pretty concerning. Heupel looked like he was panicking when he decided to go for those 4th downs I mentioned earlier, and the nothing burger from the offense after halftime falls on Heupel as well. I struggle to understand how a team can look so good in one half and completely inept in the other, but then I remember who was on the sideline opposite Heupel on Saturday. Say what you want about Saban and how much you think he’s not a great person, but one thing is certain and that is that he can coach a damn ball game. Josh Heupel is not up to Saban’s caliber yet and that’s not surprising, after all, it is his first premier head coaching job. Let’s hope that Heupel learns from his mistakes on Saturday and that his team puts together a complete game when they travel to Kroger Field next Saturday.
The Vols entered this season with high expectations, but right now the goal of winning the SEC East and going to Atlanta seems far-fetched. With that being said though the road to Atlanta is not entirely blocked off if the Vols win out. It would take major adjustments for the Vols to win the next 3 games and be 8-2 with Georgia coming to town, but I believe it is very possible. However, Josh Heupel needs to figure out why his offense is so anemic compared to last year’s team. If a QB change is needed he can’t be afraid of hurting feelings. If a shake-up in the WR room is needed he can’t be afraid of hurting feelings. The bottom line is that this season is not over, and Josh Heupel is paid a lot of money to win football games. Hurt feelings can not prevent you from doing what it takes to win games, and I still believe Josh Heupel knows that. I expect the Vols to look a lot different when they take the field in Lexington next Saturday, and if Josh Heupel needs to have come to Jesus meetings with every position on his offense to get that done he has to do it.